Title: Permanent or Not?

Problem Scenario:

I noticed that many children get into permanent markers and usually end up getting some on their clothes. I wanted to see what gets the most marker out of cloth.

Broad Question:

How permanent are permanent markers?

Specific Question:

Do different solvents remove permanent marker from cloth more than another solvent?

Hypothesis:

I hypothesize that the detergent solution will remove the most marker from the cloth.

Graph of Hypothesis:

Variables

Independent Variable:

Type of solvent

Dependent Variable:

Amount of marker removed

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Amount of solvent applied to cloth
type of cloth
type of permanent marker

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

Solvent-

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General Plan

In this experiment I am going to take a permanent marker and make a mark on a little square of cloth. On each piece of cloth I will pour a little bit of a solvent a piece of cloth. I will do that three times for each solvent. I will take a picture of the cloth before the solvent is applied. After the cloth is dry I will take another picture of the cloth. I will compare the effects and choose which solvent works best according to my data.

Potential Problems And Solutions

The solvents will stain the cloth instead of taking out the marker.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

Dealing with my solvents- wear gloves and make sure there is no flame nearby.

Experimental Design

What is your experimental unit?

One single marker stain

Number Of Trials:

Twelve Times

Number Of Subjects In Each trial:

I will use four different solvents, to try to remove the marker.

Number of Observations:

four times everything

When data will be collected

I will be doing my experiment at home, and my data will be collected between February 4th -- March 1st.

Where will data be collected?:

My data will be collected at home.

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
Permanent marker	12	Staples	$7.00
Cotton Cloth Squares	12	Home	Free
Tide Detergent Solution	1	Home	Free
Seltzer Water	1	Home	Free
Vinegar	1	Hannaford	$2.99
Rubbing Alcohol	1	Home	Free
Notebook	1	Home	Free
Poster Board	1	School	$5
Clear Glass Plate	12	Home	Free

Detailed Procedure
1. Take four squares of 2 inch by 2 inch cotton cloth and place them each on a different plate.
2. Separate the plates so they are at least an inch apart from the other plates.
3. Make sure you place the plates on a table in a dim room, where you can keep the lighting the same at all times.
4. Take one permanent marker and make a thick line in the middle of one square.
5. Put that marker aside -you won't need it anymore if you want accurate data.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 again for the last three pieces of cloth.
7. Take a picture of each mark before you add a solvent.
8. Pour a teaspoon of the detergent solution on one of the squares.
9. Pour a teaspoon of the rubbing alcohol on another square.
10.Pour a teaspoon of the vinegar on a square.
11.Pour a teaspoon of seltzer water on the last square.
12.Leave the cloth in the room for three hours without changing where the the board is and the lighting.
13.Make sure that the cloth is completely dry before moving on to step 14.
14.Take the squares to the sink. Turn the water onto hot. Put one square in your palm, under the water. Rinse it for 1 minute.
15.Repeat step 14 with all of the other pieces of cloth.
16. Let the cloth dry once again before going on to step 17.
17.Take a picture of each of the squares individually from the SAME EXACT place you did earlier.
18.I created a black color scale (can be seen in photos) and numbered each shade 1-8. 8 being the darkest at the top, 1 being the lightest at the bottom.
19. Take a white piece of paper and lay the four squares from the first trial on it. Have 11 volunteers score each square by matching the color on the square to the one on the black color scale.
20.Write down what everyone scored each square as.
21.Repeat steps 19 and 20 for each trial.
22.Find the median for each square.

Diagram

Photo List
Solvents
Before Effect
2 hours
14 hors and 40 min
After Effect
Cloth
Marker
Time Line
Procedure, timeline. and photo list complete 2/1
Begin experiments 2/4
Experiments done 3/1
Analysis 3/7
Discussion/Background 3/15
Wiki Complete 3/15
Posters Complete 3/22
KMS Fair 3/29

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Data Table

Trial	Solvent	Score

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Data Analysis

All Raw Data

Trial 1
Detergent- 7,7,7,7,6,7,7,7,6,7,7
Rub. Alc.- 8,8,7,8,7,8,8,8,7,8,7
Seltzer - 8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,7,8,8
Vinegar- 8,8,8,8,8,6,8,8,8,8,8

Trial 2
Detergent- 6,7,7,7,7,4,6,6,7,7,6
Rub. Alc.- 7,7,8,8,8,8,7,7,7,8,7
Seltzer - 8,8,7,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8
Vinegar- 8,8,8,8,8,6,8,8,8,8,8

Trial 3
Detergent- 6,7,7,7,6,7,6,6,6,7,7
Rub. Alc.- 7,7,7,8,8,8,7,7,8,8,7
Seltzer - 8,8,8,8,8,7,8,8,7,8,8
Vinegar- 8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8

Graphs

Photos

Black Color Scale

cloth with marker on it

Detergent at start

Rubbing Alcohol at Start

Seltzer at Start

Vinegar at Start

2 hours into detergent

Results

None of the solvents really worked because they all left a stain. Detergent worked the best, the scores were between 4-7 with a median of 7. Rubbing alcohol had scores between 7-8, with a median of 7. Seltzer had scores from 7-8 also. Its median was 8. The vinegar squares had scores from 6-8, with a median of 8.

Conclusion

My hypothesis was that:"I hypothesize that the detergent solution will remove the most marker from the cloth." Based on my data, I accept my hypothesis, but only under some circumstances. Although the solvents removed some marker, three out of the four solvents made the marker bleed. It turned the cloth a purple color so you wouldn't want to use those solvents. For detergent it had a median score of 7. All of the other solvents had a median score of 8. This means that the most marker was removed with detergent. The results for my experiment went along with my hypothesis.

Discussion

If I were to advance my experiment, I would research even further about what ingredients were in each solvent. Then, I would do my whole experiment. Next, I would see which of the solvents worked the most. Next, to complicate my experiment... I would find all of the ingredients of the best working solvent. I would repeat my experiment, but this time using the separate ingredients of the best working solvent. Then, seeing which ingredient worked the best, I would come to my conclusion.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

Clearly, many people have a problem with permanent markers staining clothes, because 1,497 people have viewed my page since January 1st. Many families might find this useful, because my data has shown that permanent markers really are permanent. As a result I have decided that the best way to prevent getting permanent marker on your clothes is to hide permanent markers from the kids.

Background Research

References

Abstract

During my experiment, I removed black permanent marker from white cotton cloth. I removed it with different solvents: rubbing alcohol, detergent, seltzer, and vinegar. I left the cloth to dry for 14 hours and 40 minutes. Next, I rinsed each square individually for one minute. I let them dry once again. Then I took them and put them on piece of paper next to my black color scale. I had my volunteers score each square and I recorded my data. For all of the detergent squares, the scores were between 4-7. For the rubbing alcohol squares, the scores were between 7-8. For all of the seltzer squares, the scores were between 7-8. For all of the vinegar squares, the scores were all between 6-8.